Cristian Palomeque

Date of Birth	Nationality	Current Club	Position	Strengths		Weaknesses	Transfer Rumours	Market Value	Similar Players
				Physical	Technical
2/4/1994	Colombian	Alianza Petrolera	LB/LW/RW/CM/AM	Pace, Strength	Att. Movement, Crossing, Dribbling, Ball Control, Passing, Awareness, Interceptions	Experience	-	-	David Alaba

Cristian Palomeque is a 19-year-old Colombian Footballer who plays for Alianza Petrolera in the Columbian league. Palomeque is very much an attacking player and is extremely versatile. He has played as a winger/forward on either side as well as in the midfield for his club. For his country he has played as LB as well displaying the versatility he possesses as a player. He is a player who plays out on the wings, but is someone I would consider more of an Inside Forward. Although it may not show in some of his games, Palomeque has great capability to shoot with his left leg and is extremely adept at attacking defenders and taking on players. With his good dribbling and ball control it allows him to move forward in attacks. Combining this with his attacking movement it is clear that he is more than just a winger and would be considered more as a forward who likes being on the ball. This can be seen through his goals. His movement and willingness to get into attacking positions is very much a trait seen in a forward. 

When he was younger he was part of the Atletico Nacional academy before being sold to Alianza. He was a big part of their promotion campaign in 2012 scoring a handful of goals as well as assisting a few others. His work rate and his hunger to play and achieve the most he can is a large part of his ability to drive forward and help his team as much as possible. Other of his key attributes are his passing and crossing. He is a Free Kick specialist and this can be seen in his crossing and cross field passes. His ability to get the correct pace and precision on the cross can be credited largely to his great technique for Free Kicks. His short passing is overshadowed by his attacking movement that follows. He isn’t touted for his passing from central positions for attackers to score goals, however it is aimed to continuing the attacking play. Once he has made his pass, he immediately follows it up with an attacking run and is always looking for the ball to continue the attacks. His assists come from a wider position, as he is generally deployed as a winger, and through his great crossing ability he can put deadly balls into the box from wider positions.

Recently he has been used more as a RW/RF and a LB (for Colombia Youth Teams). Both these positions suit him well. When he plays on the right he is able to cut in and shoot with his favoured left foot which allows him to display his traits as an inside forward. As a LB we see his traits in wider positions on the pitch. The reason I have likened him to David Alaba is a lot to do with his versatility and ability to play several positions, but it is highly based on the style of football that I have seen Palomeque play. Defensively he may be far behind Alaba in terms of ability, however from what I have seen there is promise. He looks slightly uncomfortable as a defender due to his attacking nature and his instinct to go forward. However, I do not see a reason why this could change with a little more discipline and coaching. Due to his attacking instincts while playing LB he makes a lot of interceptions. His awareness and reading of the game is another positive. As he is very aware of what is happening around him, his positioning is always excellent, however it’s more his experience as being a defender that causes him to make mistakes. As an attacking LB it is clear the ability he possesses. With his short pass and move football he is perfect on the wing and linking with the attackers. His final cross is another plus, as he is able to get into these attacking positions from LB and provide a well timed cross for the forwards.

While watching the games he has featured in it surprised me how much he reminded me of Alaba. That being said, I am also surprised that not many clubs were interested in him during the summer. Hopefully with a few more stunning performances and a great run with the Colombian Youth Teams he will become touted as a great potential starlet. Whenever I do get the chance, I will continue to watch Palomeque play and monitor his progress. There is no doubt that he possesses the ability to play for a big club. With his work rate and great reading of the game, I hope that time comes sooner rather than later.